Introduction
There are several route planning programs for Windows Powered devices. Unfortunately,
maps and software for Europe are usually only limitedly available. Now this
gap is being filled by the famous Route Planner from Palmtop Software, creator
of the excellent EPOC Route and Street Planners. Of course, there is also a
separate version for the US available.

Installing the program
The program is supplied on CD-ROM, with all the maps for Europe or the US; unfortunately,
other continents are not available.

The install program immediately starts after inserting the CD-ROM in the CD-ROM
drive. Palmtop Software has always been good at providing versions of its programs
in several languages. The program is available in English, Dutch, French, German,
Italian, and Spanish. Just choose the appropriate language during installation.
For first time users, install the application files first and you can add maps
at a later time. Windows CE version 2 and up are supported (palm-sized devices
up to 3.0--Pocket PC--and handheld devices up to 2.11). You can choose between
single country maps and combinations, e.g., the Netherlands can be found in
the following maps: Netherlands, Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg),
Netherlands surrounding (so Netherlands, Germany and Belgium), Western Europe,
and Whole Europe. You can choose between several detail factors (usually 1 to
5--the higher the more detail). Installing larger maps with the highest detail
can really eat your available disk space. For example, Whole Europe with maximum
detail (here only to 3) accounts for about 15 MB--but with a Microdrive this
won't be a problem. ;-)

Using the Program
When starting the program, you have to choose the appropriate map from the maps
you installed, so be sure to know if you are going to cross any country borders.
The available maps are displayed as small maps.

Select your map and you will switch to the main window. Depending on the screen
size, you get a small, switchable bottom bar (between menu and icons) at the
bottom of the screen.

There are two ways to use the program. First, just use it as an atlas. You
can find any place on the map and name every street you click on.

Secondly, you can use it as a route planner. Just select Plan
route from the menu and select your preferred departure and destination
city (in larger cities you can even select districts). You can even plan four
stopovers.

The program will default plan the quickest route, but if you prefer you can
also calculate the shortest and the return route. While calculating the route
the program will show you a progress bar and a small map with the planned route.

You can choose between map view, table view (i.e., the route instructions),
or both.

The program will automatically zoom in on the route. It will also choose the
appropriate detail settings. You can easily zoom in or out with the up/down
buttons on your device, and you can change the detail settings from the detail
dialog. Just move the sliders.

You can add a scale bar and a miniature map to see your map in a broader perspective.

The instructions table will show you exactly which road you have to take where.
In the Properties dialog
you can change the instruction details.

Route Planner will remember the last opened map and the last planned route.

The program has another nice feature, namely the ability to use overlays (overlays
are like transparencies). You can add points of interest yourself, assign your
own icons, and save them in a separate file (*.ovr). The program can automatically
install overlays for airports, junctions, borders, and stations. Have a look
at the Palmtop Software website for some
interesting other overlays, like gas stations, hospitals, speed detectors, etc.

The program is quite configurable. You can change the look and feel of the
program in the Properties
dialog. For example, there are different color schemes, fonts, and different
display settings.

Unfortunately, there are some severe restrictions on the Pocket PC screen.
The names of places and roads sometimes don't fit in the small selection boxes
or even on the screen.. This is especially annoying when selecting places (districts)
within the same city. There should be something like text wrap on the Pocket
PC!!

So, which Amsterdam should we choose

Rating Defense
Route Planner Millennium for Pocket PC is extremely fast and very accurate.
Unfortunately, there are fewer configuration options than in the EPOC version
(reviewed
earlier on Geek.com) and it's not 100%-optimized for the Pocket PC screen.
Landscape use with Jimmy landscape is also not supported, so you just have to
accept the limits of the screen size. In some cases it makes the screen almost
unreadable!! Nonetheless, the program is definitely worth 4 Geekheads for Quality.

You can even attach a GPS device to your Pocket PC and Route Planner will
follow your position. This makes the program even geekier. So, 5 Geekheads for
Geekness.